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Chapter 452 - l only taught him a little something

[Ding. You have learned a new skill]

[Illusionary Sword: Consumes 10% soul strength; What is real and what is fake is no longer indistinguishable; Three after images are generated with each sword move; Cooldown: None]

Liam stared at the notification with his mouth wide agape. This… was this the same skill that the nagas used? Since when did he learn this skill?

And it looked like he was not the only one who noticed this skill.

"Brother, just now! Gasp! It looked like there were three of you!" Mei Mei covered her mouth and looked at him in shock. "How did you do it?"

"Yes, we will talk about it later," Liam answered her as if he was answering his own doubts, and the group quickly set to leave the area.

Making sure that there were no demons or humans on their trail, Liam brought the group over to the nearest herb grinding areas.

He had had enough of trying to find shortcuts. Sometimes the grinding just needed to happen and since they were a big group this should be a lot faster.

Liam sucked in a breath and along with the rest of the guild started hunting down the mob of demonic beasts one after the other.

More than hunting, he focused on the skill he had newly learned. Clearly, the version he had now was very basic compared to what he had seen back in the cave.

Perhaps if he trained more… he would also be able to achieve that level?

Liam gripped his sword and moved faster. He had a feeling that he needed to push his agility more to achieve this.

…

…

…

Meanwhile, somewhere in the eastern part of the nether realm, the same dungeon portal silently reappeared along with the six swirling blobs of energy, the elites that guarded the said portal.

And inside this portal…

There was a huge naga resting, coiled around on the floor. However, it was not the same person Liam had seen. Instead, there was an old naga.

He was really old with his skin saggy and his scales oily, no longer having the luster they possessed once.

And the space also was completely different. It was not the dark moldy cave. Rather it was like the inside of a palace.

There were all sorts of riches and comforts inside and the old man was also not alone. There were several people serving him. He was living the life of a wealthy king.

And right at this moment, he was staring absentmindedly at some sort of a silver mirror that was made of water.

"What do you mean you gave our rune to someone?" A beautiful face appeared in the mirror and was almost screaming at the old naga.

"The life of our entire clan depends upon it. Have you lost it, old man?"

"Calm down. Calm down, princess. This is no way to talk to your ancestor."

"Ancestor? My ass!" The face in the mirror hissed. "How can you give away our rune so easily? Without it, we now have no other trump cards in our hand!"

"He doesn't even know that he has it. I wouldn't-"

"Shut up, you old fool. What else did you give away? What else did you ruin? Did you perhaps tell him all our secrets? Give away our clan's weaknesses?"

"Cough. Cough. Little girl, you must respect your ancestor. I only gave him the rune. Nothing else. Cough. Cough. Maybe a little technique."

"What did you say? What technique?"

"Little girl, I did it for a reason. The lines of fate… That person is not-"

"Stop talking about the lines of fate all the time."

"Old man, you were never really good at it. I heard from father that you were just a wannabe fate mage. So just answer my question without bullshitting. What did you teach him?"

"I might have taught him some of our illusion moves but wait."

The old naga smiled bitterly seeing that the vein on the forehead of the face in the mirror was throbbing violently.

"He might have really not picked it up at all. Besides, he probably wouldn't be able to comprehend anything from it."

"You don't have to be so afraid. He is very lacking in many aspects though in other aspects he is extraordinary."

The woman in the mirror furrowed her brows, her frown becoming deeper. "Shut up!"

"Aha ha ha ha. Little girl, I don't think that someone like you is capable of scaring someone like me. Cough. Cough. Why don't you stop trying to do that?"

HIIISSSS!

The face in the mirror did not scream any longer and calmly spoke. "My apologies, grand ancestor. Perhaps the grand ancestor has really forgotten all of his duties."

"Ughhh… little snake, no need to be so formal. Cough. Cough." Somehow this was scarier than the tone she was taking before. "How about you go back to scolding me?"

No, grand ancestor. Who am I to question your actions?" The face in the mirror was even calmer than before. She was so calm that a layer of frost covered her face.

"I will be taking my leave then." The waters in the mirror started rippling and the face of the woman started to blur.

"Little girl, wait. Little snake. Listen, I only did what I did because I could see the lines of fate coursing through him. Maybe he is the person who will be able to-"

The old naga sighed. The princess was no longer there on the other side of the mirror. It seems that he was ranting all by himself without any audience.

Hisssss! The old naga sighed and slowly slithered away drinking the wine in his glass.

"Should I have perhaps told her that she had also met the human being previously and even personally given him her pearls?"

"I could sense her presence with that boy. Otherwise, I would have never invited him in."

"Well, whatever. She will know it soon enough. Hissss… These young blood… so impatient… can never seem to see the lines of fate."

The old naga's face turned a shade of red when he remembered how his prowess in fate magic had been spread by his ungrateful seeds.

"These bastards… they don't know my worth. Tch. Tch."

He then pulled into his arms two beautiful young nagas one on each side and retired to another chamber.

"This old man is so tired. Sigh… the burden I carry on my arms… who will ever understand it. Sigh. Come help this tired old man relax a bit."

The two young women smiled and followed the old naga into the chambers, several intense noises coming from within there afterward

Chapter 453 - Herbs.Check.

"Hmmm… Why haven't I spotted a single demon until now?"

Liam picked up the loot, a couple of silver coins, and then searched the skies and the land for any sight of demons.

"Shouldn't they be out searching for me everywhere? This seems oddly quiet."

He paused for a while and then resumed his work, hunting more demonic beasts. This was the second spot they were grinding in and the drops were quite decent.

He had already managed to collect quite a bit of herbs as well.

"Liam, I have some more herbs." Shen Yue walked over and handed him another bundle of stalks.

"Hmm. Thanks." Liam accepted it and was about to ask her not to come over for every small thing when he stopped talking. It was because Shen Yue was not done yet.

Mei Mei also joined them sweating profusely and it looked like the two of them had hunted together. "Sis Yue, did you give him yet?"

"Yes, I am doing that right now." Shen Yue smiled and started taking out several more herbs. Soon a huge pile began to form in front of the trio.

"Where did you guys get all of these herbs?" Liam wryly chuckled.

He had been a little too preoccupied with perfecting the new technique that he didn't exactly give all of his focus to gathering herbs from here and there, but these two had apparently done that and very successfully too.

"Thanks." Liam smiled at Shen Yue, genuinely expressing his gratitude. He had recognized a couple of herbs in the pile that looked similar to the last ones which he needed for the recipe.

"Brother! Sis Yue worked so hard for you! You should thank her better." Mei Mei winked.

"Why don't I thank you first?" Liam rolled his eyes and flicked the little girl's head.

"No… No… it was nothing." Shen Yue smiled at their usual antics, blushing heavily.

"No, it's not nothing. This is a huge help for me. Thanks. How did you manage to get so much though?" Liam was genuinely shocked.

From her collection, it looked as if the duo had combed through the entire zone and picked clean any and all of the valuable herbs.

It was almost impossible to do it so fast!

"He He. Sis Yue, what? Shall we share our secret?" Mei Mei smiled.

Though she was joking around at the moment, one could see that the little girl had worked very hard as she was sweating from top to bottom.

She also looked very tired and worn out, having the weary look of someone who fought non-stop.

Shen Yue also had a similar appearance. The two of them indeed seemed to have given it their all.

So Liam sighed softly and gave them some time and attention which they seemed to be seeking.

After being with the other spoilt girl in his life day in and day out, he now may be understood women better?

He silently stood and waited for the duo to tell him what they were excited about.

His gaze, however, ever so often flickered to the pile of herbs as he was mentally trying to see if these were the ones that he needed.

"Brother! Are you listening?"

"Sis Yue enslaved a group of weird-looking demon goblins and made them all do the dirty work for her! Sis Yue was awesome!"

"I would have killed them because they were only Level 10 but Sis Yue had an idea and she made the five goblins worship her."

"They did everything for us!"

"They went in between holes, cracks, and crevices and picked up all the herbs in the region. Isn't she awesome? 100% girlfriend material!"

This kid! Liam rolled his eyes again. Why is she trying to set me up even when she knows that the world is coming to an end?!

He shook his head helplessly and then gave an awkward pat to Shen Yue. "That's good thinking. Keep it up."

The two women looked at him as if he had murdered someone so Liam quickly decided to leave that area.

"Did those goblins have some cave? I need someplace private to try out the concoction." He murmured and slipped away after putting transferring all the herbs into his inventory.

Watching him run away from them, Mei Mei gave the poor girl a hug. "Sorry, sis. One of these days, we will get him."

"No. No." Shen Yue gently smiled. "Let's not trouble your brother. I only want to share his load. Come, let's go back to grinding."

"Herbs, usually don't respawn so soon but we can clear the mobs nearby."

"Sis Yue… you are… too good for my brother." Mei Mei gave her another hug and the two of them then ran away to continue their work.

Meanwhile, Liam quickly dashed into the empty cave and cleared a couple of demonic goblins that had respawned.

"Luna, come here. Quick." He called the fox and began setting up things.

Kyuuuuu. The white fox speedily arrived the very next instant.

"Stand here and guard me. If any goblins spawn, kill them. Got it?"

Kyuuu. The fox nodded her head.

Liam gave her a pat and then hurriedly went back to examining all the herbs in his collection. This was it. After searching almost seven zones, he finally had all the herbs that he needed.

He went through the recipe another couple of times and took out all the herbs listed in the recipe. Luckily for them, none of the herbs happened to be rare herbs.

They were able to obtain everything that they needed just from scouring the different areas in the nether realm.

These were probably available in the Xion realm as well and they could have gotten it if they had looked hard enough.

Liam was confident about this because now that he could take a look at everything together, he could see that none of the herbs were nether touched herbs.

They did not have any specific nether properties. This made sense because the recipe itself was something he obtained in the Xion realm.

If there were any nether realm specific herbs to begin with, then the recipe would have been different.

In any case, Liam didn't have to worry about all of that. He only had a vague idea that the herbs might be available here because of the Gu family's track record.

And just like he hypothesized, he searched the areas and now had also successfully obtained the herbs. It was finally time to try and create this potion.

With this, he would be able to form the mana core and officially take the first step as a Level 50 player!

Though Liam had been long since waiting for this moment and the blood inside his body was boiling with anticipation, he still tried not to get ahead of himself.

After all, the old beggar had warned him about the difficulty of this recipe. Would he really be able to make it?

Chapter 454 - Too far!

A few hours later…

"Sis Yue, what do you think my brother is making inside?" Mei Mei curiously asked.

Shen Yue shook her head, making her long black curls dance in the wind. "I have no idea."

The two of them had been observing the cave for a while.

They knew that Liam was inside because Derek was standing guard outside and they had also seen him going in or rather running in.

But the thing was… after that he hadn't stepped out for hours together. Occasionally, there were loud blast noises and smoke coming out of the cave.

Sometimes even Luna bolted out from inside looking pitch black in color and coughing up ash and dust but Liam was completely holed up. There was not even a peep from him.

"Grinding in the same spot… it's not boring but I wish I could fight something stronger." Mei Mei mumbled and then turned around nevertheless to continue doing the same.

Shen Yue as well went back to the grind. And just like that… another few hours passed.

However, all of a sudden, a huge explosion resounded loudly in the forest, thick smoke and debris blasting out of the cave.

The blast rocked the whole place. Several cracks appeared in the cave, and the whole place looked like it was about to collapse.

Everyone became shocked and quickly rushed back to see what happened. The cave as well started crumbling, Liam and Luna rushing out at the last minute.

"Ahhh. Boss, are you okay?"

"Brother, what happened?"

Mei Mei and the others looked at Liam worriedly because the man in front of them right now looked completely different than his usual self.

He was gaunt, lifeless, drooping and might as well be a sack of skin and bones. Even a heavy wind might blow him right off.

Just what the hell happened inside the cave?

Naturally, Liam understood everyone's shock. However, he would not explain his actions.

The recipe was definitely time consuming and difficult, perhaps even impossible for him to fully comprehend, but it somehow needed to be done.

This time there was simply no other way around it. Without this, their foundation would remain forever shaky. They would also never amount to anything.

In 'Evolution Online' or even in the new world, the higher one grew, they also simultaneously trapped themselves and reduced their potential.

After a certain point, there would be no more potential left and they would not be able to grow any further.

And without this elixir, that bottleneck would arrive that much sooner. Liam was not ready to accept this. He did not want to waste this glorious second chance he received.

If he did, there wouldn't be a greater fool than him!

No matter what happened, he was going to make this damned recipe work.

Liam was too tired to talk and flopped onto Luna's back. "You guys continue. I need some rest."

He hadn't given up just yet. He was going to go back to banging his head on the wall right after he got some rest, but the problem was… he was no longer sure if he would be able to do it.

This was not a simple matter of controlling or manipulating mana. He also had all the herbs that he needed.

However, he was no closer to figuring out what this recipe needed or what mistake he was making.

Perhaps it was missing something. That was why the beggar said that he was never able to make it.

And just like him, would he also not be able to make it? Liam couldn't help but become anxious.

If it was hard work that it needed, he was ready and willing to commit, but sometimes there was such a thing as genius. Something above and beyond hard work.

Maybe he would never be able to do it?

"No, I should not think like that," Liam muttered under his breath and covered his eyes. He decided to rest for a bit, so while the others continued to grind monsters, he took a small nap.

"Ummm… Liam, are you awake?" After some time, Shen Yue walked over to him.

"Hey." Liam yawned.

"Umm… I made something for you." Shen Yue extended her slender hand forward to reveal two nicely roasted meatballs.

She blushed slightly and explained. "These will help with your-"

Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, a white paw beat her to it and grabbed the two meatballs.

Munch. Munch. Munch. Luna happily grinned, savoring the taste of the good food. The white fox did not show the slightest hint of remorse for behaving so shamelessly.

Shen Yue was speechless. "Ah… never mind." She bitterly smiled and decided to head back, not knowing what else to do.

Those two were the only items she prepared. They had extremely high recovery properties, so she wanted to give them to Liam, but now it was gone.

Liam as well was lost for words. He shook his head helplessly and chuckled.

"Thank you for the meatballs, but you didn't have to. I already ate a few berries. They are as good as anything else."

"Right." Shen Yue nodded. She also knew that, but it wouldn't be good just to eat berries all the time.

Anyone would want to eat something tastier once in a while, which was why she had made it for him but this fox!

"I will make some again." She turned around to leave. However, Liam quickly pulled her back.

"Forget about that. Let's spar for a bit." Now that he had somewhat recovered and he didn't want to go back to alchemy so soon, he decided to practice the illusionary sword technique a little bit.

He chose Shen Yue particularly to do this because if she also managed to learn something from him, then it would greatly benefit her.

Illusionary Sword was a technique that would go extremely well with her class Enchantress.

"Take out your daggers." Liam as well unsheathed his self-made purple sword. A few people noticed this, and the group started gathering around.

The big boss was going to spar, so they did not want to miss this!

"Sis Yue! You got this!" Mei Mei cheered for her.

Shen Yue, on the other hand, was trembling from top to bottom. She was not at all ready for this!

All she wanted to do was give some snacks to the guy, and now he was going to fight with her?

Oh god! He is going to see how much I suck! Shen Yue rubbed her sweaty palms on her robes.

"What? Shouldn't an enchantress be bolder?" Liam did not give her any chance to compose herself and started making the first move.

He unsheathed his sword and dashed forward, not holding back in the slightest.

Shen Yue blinked in a daze, and by the time she snapped out of her trance, she was already pushed back, and a heavy wound appeared on her waist, blood trickling from the wound.

With just one hit, she was already down half her health and was also under the bleed effect, which meant that she was going to lose her health faster.

And she knew that Liam was not going all out. In fact, he was far from going all out.

"So weak… Tsk. Tsk." Liam smirked, speaking out loud the thoughts in her mind. "Are you just planning to be a weak little girl forever?" He continued taunting her.

Though he was making fun of her, no one standing around them dared to laugh even a little because they had all personally witnessed Shen Yue's strength.

She might be weak when fighting against Liam, but that did not mean that she was weak against all of them.

Even Mei Mei did not say anything. Her brother probably had a reason for doing this, but she only wished that he wouldn't go too far.

Unfortunately, it looked like Liam planned to do exactly that…

"Get up and shake your hips. Maybe then you can charm your way out of this battle? Heh. All women know is only that, right? Either use their body or their tears?"

He did not stop talking and dashed forward again, once again striking the woman at the same spot where she was wounded before.

It was a vicious attack. Shen Yue looked completely stunned. She did not know why Liam was being so cruel to her, but she did not have time to think about that right now.

Everything he said was true. She was very weak. She weakly made an attempt to block his attack, only to get slammed onto the ground several feet away.

There was a puddle of black rain on that spot, and Shen Yue was completely drenched in the filthy puddle water from top to bottom.

"For an enchantress, you look a bit ugly. Heh." Liam chuckled.

"Maybe Mia or Alex would have done better than you with your class. I mean… both of them look much better than you."

His words sounded loud and clear as he dashed forward to attack the girl once again.

He still looked calm as if he was simply going about his business, but everyone else had a grave expression.

Liam had gone too far! They all knew it! Mei Mei silently lit a candle for her brother. He was going to pay for this. They could all see it from the look on her face.

Shen Yue's face considerably darkened. Something about her changed like a switch flipped, and she moved to dodge this attack.

"That's more like it. Now, let's go." Liam grinned.

Chapter 455 - You cannot be this easy!

Shen Yue glared at Liam with her eyes shooting daggers at him.

As for the real daggers, she gripped them tightly and tried activating the strongest weapon in her arsenal to get some breathing room and refill her health.

[Beguile]

"Hmmm? Why is it not working?"

[Beguile]

[Beguile]

She gritted her teeth and mumbled loudly, loud enough for the other person to hear.

Liam grinned. This was something else that he had wanted to test.

Back when he was with the naga, the naga had said something about his mental acumen being good.

So he wanted to see what effect this skill would have on him, but he never expected it not to work completely.

"Try again." He then moved casually, cornering the woman again, and slashed his sword down lazily.

Even with everything he had said, this action was way more humiliating as it showed the difference between both their levels.

Overcoming her initial shock, Shen Yue bit her lips and then started casting her other skills. Why are my skills not working?! Is my charm attribute truly not effective against him?

[Beguile] [Mesmerize] [Distract]

She used all of her special skills at the same time in haste.

"Think steadily. Don't panic." Liam instructed her and prepared to make the next move when suddenly he noticed that something was off. His movements were a lot slower.

So something worked?

He quickly recollected her skills again, which included beguile - mind control, mesmerize, the stun spell, and lastly, a time-altering spell, distract!

So the distract skill was still working, which meant that his mental strength wasn't all that powerful just yet. He only had a slight advantage over her.

Shen Yue as well realized this and quickly gobbled up two bottles of health potion.

A red mist enveloped her, quickly recovering her health, and she dashed forward to land her attacks before the effect wore off.

She did not want to do this, but she also did not want to look like a weak, helpless burden in front of Liam. She wanted to prove herself.

There were 30 more seconds before the distraction effect wore off, so that was all the time she had, and that too the skill did not do much. It only warped Liam's sense of time by 1 second.

For dealing with others, this was more than enough, but for this person… it was not enough. He was strong. She needed to execute her strongest move in order to prove herself.

Shen Yue gripped her daggers with determination and spun around, her body starting to emit a dazzling glow.

[Blade Dance]

This was the special active skill of her Epic ranked dagger. An epic weapon was heads and shoulders above other weapons, so the skill was not for nothing.

Shen Yue's slender body was instantly enshrouded in numerous daggers. These daggers danced around her in a violent fashion, and yet not one injured her.

With Shen Yue herself spinning around as well, she along with the daggers looked like a violent hurricane brewed by the death goddess.

And suddenly, this hurricane came to a halt, Shen Yue disappearing and the numerous daggers flying forward like zooming bullets.

Except that all of these daggers had a unique torque in their momentum. They zigged and zagged, their trajectories unpredictable.

How was one supposed to block the attack if they did not know where it was going to strike?

And that too, with the sheer number of daggers in the air, this move was definitely a finishing move!

Everyone witnessing this gasped in shock. None of them had the confidence to defend against such a move. Mei Mei already started preparing a healing spell in case Liam needed one.

The daggers buzzed alive and shot forward, all of them heading toward Liam, and he as well was clearly not prepared, his movements still being sluggish.

There was no more mystery or suspense at this point. This was definitely game over, but everyone knew that things couldn't be so simple.

It was never simple when their big boss was involved.

And just as they suspected, at the last minute, before the daggers could strike Liam, he split apart into three different figures.

It was difficult for one person to block the attack, but it was not difficult for three people to block the same attack, especially when the said person was Liam.

The daggers that were violently thrumming alive one by one disappeared after getting tangled with the purple sword.

And Shen Yue, who by now showed up behind Liam to land the finishing touch for this move, was also completely trapped.

After avoiding the dagger dance, Liam did not give her a chance to make the next move. Though his movements were sluggish, there were now three of him.

Three purple swords flashed, and Shen Yue did not know which one to block. She used the dagger in her right hand to block one and the one in her left hand to block another.

But the other sword still hit her on the same wound again, pushing her away several feet.

She sprung back quickly, trying to cast [Mesmerize] and [Distract] again, but this time Liam was more prepared.

He quickly closed his eyes and dashed towards her once again using [Illusion Sword]. He was also testing just how much he could use this skill without feeling drained.

Shen Yue gulped. She genuinely did not know what to do now. She had not played against an opponent like Liam up until now. He was on an entirely different level.

She moved, trying her best to block the sword swings with her dual daggers, but she only barely managed to block one or two.

It was impossible for her to block the attacks raining down on her from the three Liams at the same time.

And before long, CLANG!

Liam purposefully struck the dagger in her hand loudly, thereby ending the fight. If he sent even one more attack, then the girl would be dead.

So he knew when to stop and backed away. "That's enough."

Shen Yue was confused for a second and then realized what had happened. The next instant, tiredness overtook her, and she slumped down on the ground.

"Sis Yue!" Mei Mei quickly healed Shen Yue, and Liam picked her up off of the ground, gently placing her down on a nearby rock.

He helped her sit up and drink some health potions and eat some recovery berries. Soon she felt a lot better, and the wounds on her body also healed up.

Nevertheless, Shen Yue looked a bit down, so Liam awkwardly cleared his throat and mumbled. "About before, I was just saying things to get you worked up. Don't take it to heart."

"Umm. I understand." Shen Yue nodded. Clearly, she was still upset.

Liam ruffled his head and then planted a small kiss on her forehead before heading over to the group.

He pulled aside Derek and started sparring with him while Shen Yue dazedly touched her forehead, blushing bright red.

"Sis Yue! You cannot be this easy!" Mei Mei did not know whether to cry or laugh.

"Ah… Don't say that. Everything he is doing is for us. He is working very hard." Shen Yue mumbled, still rubbing her forehead.

Mei Mei shook her head helplessly. Her brother really had it too easy, and yet he was single! What a masochist!

The two of them continued watching Liam and Derek spar, which surprisingly did not go that differently from when Liam and Shen Yue had sparred.

Although in the beginning, Derek fared much better compared to Shen Yue, as time progressed, he as well suffered under the effects of the technique.

Illusionary Sword technique was simply too good, and since Liam's sword techniques were already above average, he was able to bring out the effects masterfully.

After Derek, a few other melee players as well took turns and sparred with Liam.

Derek went in for seconds, thirds, and several more helpings, and Shen Yue as well gripped her sword and went back a couple more times.

After some time, even some of the long-range players wanted to try and fight Liam. This was a rare opportunity to learn combat, and no one wanted to miss it.

And when they were not sparring with Liam, the rest of the group did not stand around and waste time and continued to clear the mobs near them.

In this manner, things continued for a while when the sky above them started to darken.

Liam let out a small sigh of tiredness and then stopped. "Hmmm. Time went by quite quickly. Alright, we can start moving to another location, and you guys can train with a different mob."

"And I will go back to… Hmmm…" He stopped packing up and suddenly looked up again.

Something was not right.

The sky was not darkening like it was supposed to, and more importantly… only the sky right above them had darkened… everywhere else was still bright.

Before Liam could realize what was happening, a loud shrill voice resounded amidst them. "GIVE ME BACK MY CROWN, YOU BITCH!"

Chapter 456 - That's my crown!

"Bitch! That's my crown you are wearing!"

The words struck like thunder, and Liam did not have to look to know who it was. He instantly bolted, moving to stand next to Mei Mei.

He did not want her to die, but more importantly, he did not want her to die and drop the legendary item.

Standing in front of them, the long leggy Russian blonde glared at the sister and brother duo.

She hissed like a vampiress looking at her prey but seeing Liam, she quickly backed away several paces rejoining her group.

Standing beside her were three other players whom Liam recognized all too well. Of course, there was also the fifth person.

Liam looked at the huge death knight and clenched his fists tightly.

"Have you come here to return what is mine?" He sneered, his gaze particularly landing on Kouske.

"YOU!" Anya shouted, her entire body trembling in anger. "Give me back my crown! Right now! Right this second!" She stomped her feet on the ground.

Standing next to Liam, Mei Mei's eyebrows shot up at the crazy woman's claim. "No, this is my crown!" She as well stomped her feet on the ground in a similar fashion.

Liam only smiled and didn't say anything to hold her back. He never had any interest in sparking a conversation with this group.

He already knew why they were here.

His only concern now was how to get out of this because if it were just this four, he would have already killed them and camped in their graveyard. The problem was the giant deathknight.

With that monstrosity here, there was no chance for him to win this battle.

Perhaps a Level 20 player could kill a level 40 elite, but a level 50 wouldn't be able to do the same to a Level 80 or, for that matter a Level 70.

It was because all the creatures higher than Level 50 had a qualitative change in their everything, including attack power and defense strength, all thanks to this small thing called mana core.

And this death knight, even from the looks of it, definitely possessed a mana core. Liam's attacks probably wouldn't even scratch it.

It one-shot killed him back then, and it would again one-shot kill him without batting an eye. So how were they supposed to escape this thing?

Liam's mind spun quickly as his gaze lingered on the four players standing in front of him.

"Liam! You cowardly dog! You can't run anymore! Your bad time starts now! Today. You are the one who is going to lose, and you are the one who is going to suffer."

The chubby hunter grinned, petting his big demonic two-headed hound.

"Why should we run? There are only 4 of you. There are 40 of us! Do you really think you can take us?" Shin Soo could not stand still after listening to Liam being disrespected.

The others also gathered around closer, the tension in the air palpable.

"Ba ha ha ha! Look at this guy. Do you really think that an average joe like yourself can take me?"

"You can't even stand straight in front of me without me allowing you to do so!" Madan snorted haughtily.

Anya as well glared at him with a bitch face. "Why are these mutts barking?"

"Today, you guys cannot win no matter what happens! Just prepare to die. Don't tell me I didn't warn you." Madan chuckled.

"You already know that you are going to win?" Liam finally spoke up. This was bad. This was very bad. Inwardly he was panicking, but he tried to remain calm.

However, he was still found out by Kouske.

"Madan, that's enough. No need to talk to these people. Let's finish what we came here for." Kouske muttered gravely and then waved his hand.

The next instant, a huge rumbling sound echoed. The big death knight started glowing brightly, along with the sword in his hand.

"Everyone move back," Liam shouted. "I will keep the deathknight busy. Everyone else, run now!"

However, he was not done yet. After shouting, he again messaged in group chat, "Derek, Shen Yue, and Mei Mei. You three should try to draw the other four away from the death knight."

"I cannot beat this death knight. You have to take care of the guy summoning it. Don't underestimate these four under any circumstances."

"Each one of them is capable of rivaling me in strength or maybe even stronger. So don't let your guard down."

"If you think that you cannot win, then both of you should help Mei Mei escape the combat zone and log out. Her legendary item will drop if she dies."

"Now go! Either kill them or escape, do it fast. Run!"

Several things about this abrupt ambush were unsettling but what was most troublesome were still the words the fatty let slip. They were going to win? What did that mean?

Why were they here? How did they find out? Are they tracking something? Perhaps him? Were they tracking him through some method?

Liam shook his head. He couldn't afford to focus on the 'why' at the moment.

This could even be a coincidence. They had stayed in this single spot for almost an entire day, and these four might have accidentally caught the scent.

After all, he had taken something precious from them. So maybe they were searching for them and found them because they stayed in a single spot for too long.

Anything could have happened. That was not important right now. What was important was… the giant death knight standing in front of him.

The fate that he had managed to steal only half of had come back to bite him in his ass, but luckily it was still in the nether realm. In here, he was the King!

[Nether Scythe] Liam started with his strongest move.

Thick wisps of nether gathered around to form a massive scythe like storm clouds gathering around to smite the earth with lightning and thunder.

Before the death knight could make its first move, Liam hurriedly brought down the scythe on the huge thing and the four guys standing near it.

Meanwhile, behind him, the rest of the group started running.

Not one of them hesitated or questioned Liam's words. They started running as fast as they could without turning back even once.

Kouske and the other three as well saw this. Their attention turned from the huge scythe Liam conjured that was easily blocked by the level 80 death knight to the players fleeing the scene.

Chapter 457 - Do you want to jump ship?

"Dude! They are RUNNING AWAY!" Madan shouted. "Look at them running away like rats!"

"Hmph. They are running away with my crown! You are not getting away from me that fast!"

Anya was the first to move as she dashed towards the bunch of players, specifically aiming for the little girl with the flashy crown on her head.

To see her prized possession on a good for nothing little girl felt like a slap on her face. She bit her lips in frustration and weaved her staff, readily sending out an attack spell.

For her, it didn't matter that a dozen people were running around the little girl. Only her crown was important.

Without it, even the idiots in her group were looking down on her, and she hated it.

[Entrapping Vines]

[Laser Leaves]

Anya did not hesitate and started with the strongest attacks in her arsenal. These were not flashy skills, but they got the job done, and more importantly, they had never failed her.

Her eyes twinkled as she watched the leaves dart forward faster than bullets or anything else directly aimed at her good for nothing target.

While the vines sprouting on the ground beneath her feet hold her steady, these leaves should slice that tender neck right off.

Anya sneered in disdain and sent out two flying vines to grab the crown that was anyways going to be hers. The little girl was not even aware of what was coming behind her back.

A small celebratory smug smile tugged the blonde as she dashed forward with her long legs, but before she could take another step, suddenly something shifted.

The leaves that were about to strike the girl's back were instead blocked by a shield. A big guy had appeared out of nowhere.

"Hmph." Anya gritted her teeth in frustration and sent out several more [Laser Leaves]. However, Derek blocked every single attack.

The healer was utterly helpless against the tank that stood in her way. She instantly turned to look at Madan and Barret, who nodded and quickly ran to catch up to her.

"Let's see how you are protecting that little bitch now." She muttered and continued running behind the group.

Now that Anya saw things more clearly, she noticed something. Though everyone seemed to be haphazardly running, there was also a certain formation.

It was very subtle, but it was there. If she was not a healer who was used to seeing everything from a wider angle, from a bird's eye point of view, she would have definitely not caught it.

The little bitch was not as unguarded as she thought. It looked like they knew what they were doing after all.

"They are trying to split us up." Anya mouthed.

"Huh? Should I go back to Kouske?" Madan scratched his head, sending out his hound and three other beasts after the group.

"No," Barret answered instead of Anya. "This is our main mission this time. We need to retrieve the crown. Let's stay on that. Kouske is more than enough to handle Liam on his own."

"Hmmm… will he really be okay? That Liam is a problematic fellow." Madan looked worried.

"Hmph. There is nothing he can do against the death knight. Like that person said, he will lose this time." Anya scoffed.

"What, Anya? You never trust big brother's words, and today you choose to believe him?"

"He He. Looks like what big bro said is true. Some people only want to believe in fate when there is something good waiting for them."

"Shut up. I never said that I did not believe him. I was only saying we should take it with a hint of salt. Whatever. Let's just go and get the crown back."

Madan wanted to cook up another witty repartee, but the other two left him behind in the dust, so he whined and dashed forward to catch up with them.

"Damn it. Why are you making me run so much!" The two skinny bastards were much more agile when compared to him.

In the end, he whistled to call back one of his beasts and gave chase to the fleeing crimson abyss guild members.

The three of them were in their level 40s, and they were able to chase quickly. It almost seemed as if they were going to reach the group.

But weirdly, at this instant, something unexpected happened. The group once again split into two.

"Your funeral idiots!" Madan grinned because anyone who saw this situation knew that it was best to stay together and fight.

In fact, if they stayed together and fought, they might even have a chance, a very very slim chance, but now…

"Let's go." The three of them did not care about the other members of the crimson abyss guild and only chased after the three they were really interested in.

This time Madan, Anya, and Barret, all three of them started sending in attacks at the one woman, one big guy, and one little girl who was running away.

However, most of the attacks were still skillfully evaded by the trio.

Derek helped Mei Mei block some while Shen Yue's slender body was like a blade of grass that bent along with the storm to remain unyielding.

"Waaahhh… why can't beauties like this be there in our group?" Madan licked his lips, seeing her beautiful figure running in front of him. The view was perfect!

"Shut your pie hole, Madan." Anya scoffed and glared at Shen Yue, "Can't you see? They are not average players. Let's speed this up. I need that crown back in my hands."

"Fine. Fine. As you say so… jealous bitch." Madan spat out the last part. He then started using [Freezing Arrows], albeit his own blend of freezing arrows.

Five arrows zoomed forward in the air with breakneck speed and just like before this time as well Derek, Mei Mei and Shen Yue blocked them.

However, Madan grinned. This was because the attack was not over yet.

The arrows that were cleanly blocked unexpectedly shimmered as they struck the ground, and the spot where they landed released an icy aura that still affected the three people within the radius.

The trio's movement speed and agility instantly dropped, and the three of them as well came to a screeching halt as there was no point in running away any longer. They were caught!

On the other side, the other three as well came to a halt.

While Anya and Barret glared at the three of them, Madan clutched his stomach and caught his breath. "Hello! Hello! Hello! Pretty lady, do you want to jump ship? I can marry you right now!"